Didn't promise to bring back black money in 100 days: Govt

The government on Thursday insisted in the Lok Sabha that it had never claimed that all the black money stashed abroad would be brought back within 100 days even as the opposition continued to target it over the issue.

Contesting the opposition’s charge in this regard, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu cited the Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha election manifesto which said a task force would be set up to deal with the problem of black money.

"We are not so immature as to say that we will bring back all the black money in 100 days," Naidu said while intervening in a debate on black money.

His comment came in response to an attack by the opposition which said that the BJP had promised to bring back black money within 100 days of coming to power and questioned why the same had not happened six months since the government had come to power.

Naidu said the BJP election manifesto stated that if voted to power, the government will minimise the scope for corruption and set up a task force for tracking down or bringing back black money. "The process of bringing back black money will be put in motion," he said.

Listing out the measures taken by the BJP government to deal with the black money menace, Naidu said whenever 100 days is said it means "action will be initiated within 100 days".

He claimed that the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had first talked about 100 days with respect to unearthing of black money when he made a statement in Parliament in July 2009.

Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said that people had trusted the BJP's election campaign of bringing back the money stashed abroad and hence the government should give an assurance in the house when the money would be brought back.

"The youth of the country thought they will get Rs 15 lakh. You sold lies to people. The government has to inform the parliament as to when they intend to bring the money back," Yadav said.

Yadav said that the funds should be brought back as soon as possible since the account holders are withdrawing money.

He demanded that the government say it in the House how long it will take to disclose the full list of account holders and how much money is stashed abroad.

Naidu said it was "painful" for him to hear from the opposition slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and outlined that even the finance minister of the previous United Progressive Alliance government did not disclose the name of account holders in foreign banks.

He invited the opposition to come out with better ideas as to how to deal with the black money menace.

"We should take quickest possible action," he said while seeking opposition support for government action.

Lashing out at opposition, Naidu said the Supreme Court had directed the then UPA government in 2011 to take steps to deal with funds stashed abroad, but no steps were taken.